1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to container assemblies which are useful for both transport and disposal of sharp medical instruments and other medical materials and more specifically to container assemblies which provide evidence of tampering when opened after transport of new medical materials, to container assemblies which deny direct access through to sharps which have been previously deposited in the container assembly and to container assemblies which comprise apparatus for severing a tube to which a medical needle is attached to thereby deposit the needle and only a portion of the tube in the container assembly.
2. The Present State of the Art
The possibility of exposure to AIDS or other life-threatening diseases by medical personnel disposing of used sharp medical instruments has created a crucial need for an improved container that provides better protection against contracting potentially deadly diseases. The term "sharps" refers to sharp medical instruments such as syringes, scalpels, lances, and the like.
Sharps containers have been developed to facilitate the disposal of used medical instruments. Used instruments may be contaminated by bodily fluids of patients, or for other reasons may require sanitary disposal. However, the typical sharps container requires medical personnel to handle the sharp instrument during insertion into the container. For example, some sharps containers have two biased flaps through which sharps are horizontally inserted by pressing downward on the sharp while forcing it into the container. As the container fills, medical personnel run the risk of being stabbed by a previously inserted needle. As well, it is common for sharps containers to provide ready and direct access to previously deposited sharps through a container opening.
Additionally, improvements in the ability to transport unused sharps and to dispose of them in the same container would be desirable. New sharps are typically transported in one type of container and then disposed of in another container after use. Further, it is generally recognized by those skilled in transport and delivery of medical instruments that it is critically important to provide evidence of tampering for each user immediately prior to opening a container of new medical instruments. Also, it is desirable to provide for locking or sealing the lid of a container filled to a level at which it is ready for final disposal.
In some cases, in the handling of butterfly needles securely affixed to long tubes for example, it is desirable to cut the tube near the needle to deposit the needle into one container for one mode of disposal and the remaining tube into another container for another mode of disposal.